Generation adidas U17 Cup notes recap: July 25-31

An inside look at the Revolution Youth Teams at the Generation adidas cup in Frisco, Texas

August 2, 2011

Sunday, July 31

An 8 a.m. game meant the week’s earliest wakeup call. In fact, it was so early that the hotel had not yet begun serving breakfast, so the players had a light pre-game meal in their rooms.

Everyone board the bus by 7, and it was off to the fields for the Revs’ fifth and final game of the 2011 Generation adidas U17 Cup. Find out more about the game – which, despite three equalizing goals, ultimately ended in a 5-3 loss – in the youth update (coming soon).

After returning to the hotel, the team grabbed a second breakfast and had a few hours to shower, pack and nap.

Lunch was in the hotel lobby at 1 p.m. and a brief team meeting followed. The group then piled onto the bus one last time and headed back to the airport for the return flight to Boston.

Saturday, July 30

With their second day off of the week, the players and staff got an opportunity to take a break and see some of the Dallas sights.

The group’s bus driver, James – who was also with us when the U18s and U16s were in Frisco for the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs and Showcase at the end of June – kicked the outing off with a bus tour. He drove us by the American Airlines Center (home of the Dallas Mavericks and Stars) and the world’s largest bronze statue – a herd of cattle.

The first stop of the day was the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, a museum that chronicles the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy. After taking an audio tour inside the building that was once known as the Texas School Book Depository, everyone walked over to the infamous grassy knoll.

Next stop was lunch, and James had taken it upon himself to give us an authentic Texas BBQ experience. The players got a chance to try it all: ribs, sausage, chicken, baked beans, potato salad, onion rings and more.

Once everyone had their fill, we left for Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. During our private stadium tour, the group visited the suites, press box and locker rooms for both the Cowboys and their cheerleaders, before spending some time on the field.

Stomachs still full of BBQ, nearly everyone on the bus slept during the ride back to the hotel. Having had such a busy day, the 90 minutes before dinner was also a welcome break.

Dinner was at a new restaurant and after everyone had eaten, the bus made a stop at Target to pick up some breakfast supplies.

Friday, July 29

Friday marked the U17s’ fourth game day of the trip, so everyone was quite familiar with the routine by that point.

With a tournament’s worth of basketball teams now also staying in the hotel, breakfast was a lot busier than usual. While some players and staff managed to find tables in the lobby area, others took their meals back up to their rooms.

The team then met outside the hotel for a stretch at 10 a.m. and spent some time at the mall to get out and moving before a team meeting and pre-game meal at 2 p.m.

Everyone boarded the bus by 5:30 for the game against Real Salt Lake. You can read more about the match – a 4-2 loss – in the youth update.

Following the game, the team grabbed their postgame meal on the bus and stuck around Pizza Hut Park to watch the second group of games.

Thursday, July 28

The team slid right back into the game-day schedule on Thursday, eating breakfast by 9 a.m. and meeting for a stretch outside the hotel at 10:30 after that.

Before boarding the bus for the pregame meal at 1:45 p.m., everyone enjoyed some down time.

The team returned to the hotel around 3, and had a meeting half an hour later. Following that, the players returned to their rooms for final game preparations.

You can read about the U17s’ game against Chivas USA – a 2-0 loss – in the July 29 youth update.

After the game, the group lingered to watch the penalty kicks that would decide the winner of the Colorado Rapids – Toronto FC match.

Back on the bus, the players grabbed a postgame meal to bring up to their rooms before heading down to the pool.

The Under-17s will next play Real Salt Lake – who finished fourth in Group D – tonight (Friday, July 29) at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Wednesday, July 27

Wednesday might have been a day off, but that didn’t mean that the players didn’t work hard.

After an early breakfast at the hotel, the team piled onto the bus and headed to FieldhouseUSA for a special regeneration session. Eric Dannenberg – a performance specialist at Athletes’ Performance, an elite athletic training company that partners with teams like the LA Galaxy, Everton FC and the German men's national team – led the players through a short workout designed to help them perform at their highest level.

Following the workout, the players returned to the hotel for some down time while the coaches attended a meeting with other MLS youth coaches and representatives of Generation adidas. Lunch was back at the hotel, and with a free afternoon, the team went bowling. While some players took the outing as a serious competitive outlet, others chose to exhibit some unique style and develop bowling techniques of their own. Check out one such technique, as demonstrated by Diego Fagundez and Mitchell Taintor, in the video below.

Once everyone returned to the hotel, the team again enjoyed some free time ahead of a brief meeting with representatives of Generation adidas.

For dinner, the group made a trip to one of the team’s restaurants. Some of the players continued the day’s creativity by coloring and others played tic-tac-toe with the crayons provided by the restaurant, usually for much younger children.

With some more free time before curfew, much of the team hit the pool for a bit before spending the remainder of the night laying low before today’s final group-play game.

The Under-17s are currently in third place in Group C, and play their third and final group game of the tournament tonight (Thursday, July 28), against first-place Chivas USA at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Tuesday, July 26

Being a game day, Tuesday’s schedule was very similar to that of the day of before.

The team had breakfast at the hotel before 9 a.m. and again had free time to do some regen at the pool or rest up before the game.

Everyone boarded the bus for the pre-game meal by 1:45 p.m. After having their fill of salad, pasta and chicken, the players returned to their rooms for final game preparations.

Find out more about the young Revs’ shootout victory against the Colorado Rapids in the July 27 youth update.

Following the match, the team returned to the hotel in good spirits – postgame meal in hand.

With an extended curfew given the impending day off, the players spent more time in the pool, recovered from the game and socialized for the remainder of the night.

The Under-17s (0-1-1, 2 pts.) are currently in third place in Group C, and play their third and final group game of the tournament on Thursday, July 28, against first-place Chivas USA (2-0-0, 6 pts.) at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Monday, July 25

With Sunday having been a travel day, Monday was the youth squad’s first full day in Frisco, Texas, for the 2011 Generation adidas U17 Cup.

Having just been here for the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs from June 24-28, it’s déjà vu for many of players on this trip. The hotel, restaurants, fields… It’s all comfortable and familiar for a good portion of the group. But there are also some new faces this time around, with recent signings C.J. Burnham, Greg Forgue, Nick Hoffman and Eric Martel joining the Revs for the first time.

The team ate breakfast at the hotel by 9 a.m. and had lunch around noon, enjoying a quiet morning and early afternoon between meals. Some players took the opportunity to stretch their legs by walking to the nearby mall, while others watched TV back in their rooms.

Everyone met up again at 3:45 p.m., returning to one of our favorite local restaurants for a pre-game meal.

The players boarded the bus again at 7 for their first game of the tournament. It was still 98 degrees at kickoff (8:15 p.m. local time), so everyone took some time to adjust to the heat before warm-ups started.